A old family recipe

Hey all!

Hope your weekend is going well. Mine has been pretty splendiferous thus far. Dinner tonight is from an old time family recipe that I believe my mom got from her Grandmother with a few tweaks and changes. The original recipe call for a huge chunk-o cow or something unappetizing like that, now it is cow free and ever tastier!

Here is the recipe:

2 small or 1 large onion

2-4 cloves of garlic

2 c. chopped carrots

2 c. chopped celery

2 cans tomatoes (blended smooth)

3 veggie boullion cubes

1 L. water

1 can green beans (you can use fresh if you'd like)

1 can corn

4 c. chopped or shredded cabbage

1 can of your favourite beans (I used white beans)

1 tsp hot pepper flakes

Parsley and cracked black pepper to taste

Step 1: Sautee the onion and garlic in a large soup pot until onion is translucent. I coat the bottom with PAM first.

Step 2: Add celery and carrot and sautee until they get softer. They don't have to be at the tenderness you want them just yet, they can still be a little firm.

Step 3: Blend the tomatoes in either your Magic Bullet (woot!), food processor, vita mix(I want one so bad!), any type of blender will do! Add it to the pot. The tomatoes, not the blender.

Step 4: Heat a cup of water and dissolve the veggie boullion cubes in it. Add the broth to the pot as well as the 1L of water.

Step 5: Add the hot peppers. I like it spicy!

Step 6: Let simmer for 40 min to 1.5 hours.

Step 7: About 20 min before you're ready to eat it add in the green beans, corn, cabbage and beans. Let simmer for about 20 more min or until everything is thoroughly heated.

This soup tastes great served over rice(my fave), pasta or boiled potatoes (my mom's fave). It's pretty low is calories but high in fiber, vitamins and flavour! I'm guessing you get about a bajillion servings of vegetbles in every bowl. YES a bajillion. You can freeze it and reheated it tastes just as good. It warms you up and is satisfying with out weighing you down.

Well I'm off to my friends 19th birthday party. Should be a blast, it's a "pick-your-own" Theme party. I'm going as a cow girl! I'm excited to see what everyone else will be dressed as. Don't worry lots of pictures will be taken ;)